Durban-born Judge Navi Pillay, who headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and chaired a United Nations commission that concluded genocide was being committed in Gaza, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Judge Pillay, who grew up in Clairwood, was recognised for her role in advancing international justice and ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said Pillay had been instrumental in promoting accountability for grave international crimes.
Judge Pillay headed the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which last year concluded that genocide was occurring in Gaza. The commission is independent and does not speak on behalf of the UN as a whole.
At the time, Pillay told AFP that her team had shared “thousands of pieces of information” with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court.
The UN said the award highlighted the value of human rights, while the Nobel Committee said it came at a time when international law and its institutions faced mounting pressure.
“At a time of existential challenges, including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time, international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity,” Frydnes said.
The committee described Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her moral convictions as constants throughout her career.
Last year’s Peace Prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who subsequently and controversially gave her Nobel gold medal to US President Donald Trump.
The award comprises a gold medal, diploma and prize money of $1.2 million. Pillay will receive it at a ceremony in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Nobel Prize founder Alfred Nobel in 1896.
The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, while the other Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm.
Judge Pillay joins South Africa’s distinguished list of Peace Prize laureates starting with Inkosi Albert Luthuli, who won in 1960; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in 1984; and lastly the joint winners, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk in 1993.
Her achievement is a source of pride for Clairwood and Durban, which have produced a figure whose career has helped shape international efforts to uphold human rights and accountability. | SUNIL NAIDOO Chatsworth